Across Spain and Europe, Roma organisations continue to lead essential work to challenge stigma, strengthen their communities, and promote the leadership of Roma women. Their initiatives are creating spaces where women can gain skills, confidence and visibility, while actively contributing to social transformation.
This March, in the context of International Women’s Day, several initiatives supported by the ROVA programme highlight the impact of Roma-led organisations working to empower women and defend equality across Europe.
Empowering Roma Women in Spain
In the 2025 ROVA call for proposals, two organisations in Spain stood out for the strength of their initiatives and their long-standing commitment to Roma women: Veus Gitanes (Rromane Glasura) and Eus-Kale.
Both organisations represent the determination of Roma civil society to create opportunities, defend rights, and ensure Roma women can take their rightful place in society.
Veus Gitanes: Strengthening Leadership and Community Voice
For many years, Veus Gitanes has been a courageous voice advocating for the rights, dignity and visibility of Roma women. Through their project “Entre Tías y Primas. Fighting Together for Our Rights”, the organisation aims to empower more than 200 Roma women who continue to face discrimination based on both gender and antigypsyism.
The initiative creates safe and collaborative spaces for:
Training and education
Dialogue and community exchange
Collective reflection and empowerment
Through these activities, women strengthen their leadership skills and their ability to participate actively in social and civic life. The project builds on years of community engagement and activism, demonstrating how Roma women organising together can defend their rights and transform their realities.
Eus-Kale: Opening Pathways to Employment
While Veus Gitanes focuses on community empowerment, Eus-Kale works on creating concrete opportunities for economic independence and professional development.
Its project “Cleaning that Cares” supports Roma women in Santurtzi through a six-month programme that combines:
Practical training in hospital cleaning services
Mentorship and guidance
Accessible digital learning tools
Ten Roma women will participate in the programme, gaining professional skills, confidence and new opportunities to enter the labour market. By improving access to employment, the initiative strengthens both individual autonomy and long-term economic stability.
Together, these projects demonstrate how Roma-led organisations are creating meaningful change within their communities by investing in leadership, education and professional growth.
Roma Women at the Centre of European Identity
Beyond Spain, Roma women across Europe continue to claim their place in civic life and public discourse.
Through its ROVA grant, the Baltic Region Roma Women Association (BRRA) is implementing the project “I’M A ROMA WOMAN – I’M EUROPEAN: a Manifesto for Identity, Freedom and Dignity.”
The initiative empowers Roma women in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to strengthen their leadership skills, European identity and public visibility.
Roma women remain among the most vulnerable groups in Europe, often facing intersectional discrimination based on both gender and ethnicity. This project directly responds to that reality by transforming invisibility into visibility and marginalisation into leadership.
From Visibility to Leadership
Over a period of 12 months, the project will bring together Roma women leaders through a series of creative workshops exploring:
European values
Women’s rights
Roma identity
Their voices will be showcased through a public exhibition in Vilnius, opening dialogue with policymakers and society.
Participants will also receive leadership training, equipping them with essential skills in:
Advocacy
Public speaking
Community engagement
The initiative will culminate in the launch of the Roma Women’s Manifesto during a Baltic Roma Conference hosted at the Parliament of Lithuania, where participants will advocate for equality, dignity and inclusion.
The project will directly engage 15–20 Roma women leaders, while reaching thousands more through exhibitions, media coverage and digital dissemination.
More importantly, it will help build a new generation of Roma women ambassadors who actively shape policies and narratives affecting their communities.
Celebrating Roma Women on International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day reminds us that equality is not symbolic—it requires participation, voice and power.
Through initiatives supported by ROVA, Roma women are not only claiming their space as women, but also as European citizens contributing to democracy, cultural life and social change.
Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience and leadership of Roma women across Europe.
And together, their message is clear:
“I’m a Roma Woman – I’m European.”
